Oscar and Jay represented the studio in the men’s category 3 field, while Jerome raced the men’s category 4 and Joy the women’s category 4.

Stage one brought out the time trial bikes for the first time all season.  Many racers were scrambling in the eleventh hour, making tweaks and alterations to get their rigs race worthy.  Two hours before the race, Jay found that his new wheel/tire combo rubbed the curved seatpost of his TT frame.  Having a skilled mechanic for a teammate like Oscar (owner of rOti cycling) has its benefits though, and adding a few spacers to the horizontal dropout quickly resolved any potential problems.

The Dragons TT course may be the fastest and most technical in New England this season.  It starts with a gradual hill climb of about six minutes, then continues to twist and turn over the rolling VT terrain.  Two ninety degree turns are approached by 10% descents and a third turn is a solid 135°; your brakes need to work darn well.  The lack of flat sections makes it nearly impossible to find rhythm and the fastest descent of the day launches racers in excess of 50mph into a chicane.

Roadies in a time trial are a funny thing.  Few spend more than a minimal amount of time riding them in that awful aerodynamic position, so when it comes time to pedal hard they don’t (i.e. Jay).  Others don’t have a TT rig so they can exert one billion watts and still find themselves way off the pace (i.e. Oscar).  And that would pretty much sum up the TT for the studio team this weekend.  Both Oscar and Jay poured their heart and soul into the TT, only to find themselves crying tears of lactic acid by the finish.

Stage two was the downtown criterium, a four-corner one-kilometer course with fast, narrow corners.  It started only three hours after the TT finished; so soon that results were posted literally within minutes of the start of the race.  Our legs were still twitching from the TT effort when we took the line.

Stage race criteriums are often very fast in the development categories, and this was no exception.  Many racers peak for these big races in hopes of having a good weekend and scoring serious upgrade points.  Racers also tend to travel from all over the place to attend.  Bennington drew the most ambitious racers from Boston, New York, and even Philadelphia.  Many excel on the steep climbs and dread criteriums, so their strategy was simple: get to the front and dish out all the watts in the world.  The result?  An average speed of 27mph which was not much slower than the p12 race.

The studio team planned to go for the points competition in the crit since any GC hopes were out the window after the TT.  Points were available at two mid-way primes and the finish to the first three racers to cross the line.  Jay was able to steal second place points in the first sprint, but that would be all the success to be had.  A very impressive solo breakaway went away shortly after and ate up all of the remaining first place points, staying away to the finish.  His power and handling skills had to have been top notch.  Oscar and Jay limped in with legs still broken from the TT.  Both had regrets of not backing off on the TT effort to save their legs for the crit.

Stage three was the road race.  Perhaps it’s because this stage race is still relatively new, but the climbs are relatively unknown to most of us in the Boston area.  They don’t have the reputations of like Appalachian Gap, Middlebury Gap, or the Killington Access Road.  And perhaps they shouldn’t, they aren’t as long or as high as those climbs.  But, when you put five difficult climbs into one road race, that makes for a hard race.

The first 15 miles were mellow, other than a brief ramp up for the points sprint.  But as soon as we crossed the narrow bridge and hit the dirt, all heck broke loose.  This was the start of the first climb, 2.4 miles with an average 5.4% gradient.  Don’t let the 5.4% figure fool you, that includes a flat and even downhill section in the middle.  Most of the climbing is done around 10% and approaches 15% in places.  The race completely exploded, with the first group climbing at a ridiculous pace.  Great racers were left scrambling up the side of the dirt road.  Jay settled into the second group but a bad moment half way up left him chasing.  Oscar had fantastic legs and made a great effort, but unfortunate positioning behind a weak rider found him closing gaps and chasing from the start.

Jay and Oscar grouped with Chris from Green Line Velo in pursuit of the peloton.  They were in sight on the second climb, a long and straight paved climb that kicks to nearly 15% near the top.  Unfortunately a 500m gap on that kind of gradient is actually a gap of well over a minute, so being so close is nothing but a big tease.  It did provide significant motivation however, and the case continued.

Our group of three became seven, and then eight, as we picked up dropped riders from the main group.  Oscar seemed to get stronger as the race went on, eventually gapping the chase group and leaving Jay left for dead.  He rode strong to the finish, driving the pace much of the way, and sprinted for third in the chase and 28^th overall.

Overall the weekend was obviously a disappointment in terms of performance.  Lessons were learned in racing on bad legs and how to manage your big efforts.  The results don’t show it, but we did make some fantastic efforts that could have amounted to much more if more carefully managed.  But that doesn’t matter.  We all went out there, rode the best we could, and had a heck of a good time doing it.  If I could do the race again tomorrow I would!

Quabbin Reservoir from atop Quabbin Hill

words by John Burkhardt

On Saturday Sean Griffing, Jay Robbins and I drove out together for the Quabbin Road Race. Jay and I did the 3/4 race and Sean did the cat 5 race as his first ever bike race, a ambitious start to racing! And for me, this was my first road race in over 10 years so I was plenty nervous and excited.

The course is a 65 mile loop around the Quabbin reservoir with a few decent climbs (about 4500 ft total). Sat was a beautiful clear day, though a bit cold (35-40) and windy at the start.  Our field had 108 people pre-registered and we saw several people signing in day-of so we ended up with a pretty good size group.

The race started out from the park at the top of a hill and had a neutral start down to route 9. My bike was super wobbly going down the hill and I was worried that maybe one of my wheels was messed up. Nope, I just had my knees clamped to the top tube and I was shivering uncontrollably. Once we got moving though I was comfortable most of the time.

At mile 5 or so a guy jumped off the front and took off. I didn’t even realize it until I saw several of his teammates (CLR team) dominating the front and keeping the pace pretty tame. There were a few surges here and there, especially going up hill. At one point I moved up on a climb and popped off the front. Apparently I had a few hundred yards and Jay later told me I should have just gone for it. I’m not sure I could have survived another 30+ miles on my own and I ended up sitting up pretty quickly.

Jay at the feed zone - photo courtesy of BONK! Support (http://www.bonksupport.com/)

There was one other significant break attempt and I went with it, sitting at around 6th wheel but we didn’t get far. I think the pack was too well rested and everyone was
kind of waiting for some action.

At times we seemed to be going so slowly that I thought we might just pull over and have a nap. Somehow we did finally reel in that [CLR] guy who took off so early, I think we caught him at around mile 50. I expected a counter attack but everyone
just hung together.

In a large group there are always knucklheads and we had our fair share. On some of the smaller roads where there was no actual yellow line, several guys would get in the left lane and the pack would swell, only to have to smush back together when everyone started yelling “car up”. I hate stuff like that. It is cheating.

I would guess there were 60-70 of us all together at the finish. Going in towards the park there is one minor climb on route 9 and at that point Jay told me to move up and he slingshot me up about 10 places. I moved into fourth wheel on the turn into the park and started the final climb to the finish. The road ticks up a bit, then levels off for a while and at that point a large swarm surrounded me and I lost key position.

I think I was expecting a lot more up hill to come so when we got to the final kick I thought we had a lot further to go and I was preparing myself for a strong climb finish but then – whoops -there is the 200m sign. I started to jump and then the guy in front of me came out of his pedal and stopped dead in his tracks. Got around
him and almost fell into the giant wheel eating pot hole that I had jumped over on the way down three hours earlier. Sprinted to the line and by now there were easily 20 guys in front of me. Jay was right there too maybe one or two spots behind me. I was happy to finish toward the front of the pack and especially to be back in the game.

I definitely have the bug again and can’t wait to get to my next race.

[Update: results were just posted and I came in at 23rd with Jay right behind me for 24th! And it looks like there were 65 together guys at the finish.]

Every 4 months we rotate our guest coffee roaster to a new one of the many great roasters across the country. Within that 4 month period we like to bring in a few different coffees from each roaster. So, not only do you get a chance to try each roaster, but you also get the opportunity to taste a variety of coffees sourced from farms all across the world.  We hope that this gives you the chance to:

1. Learn more about coffee – it’s production, taste, origin, and more

2. Get an idea of the roast style you love (more on this in an upcoming posting)

3. Learn the flavor profile of coffees from a number of different origins and get an idea of what countries, or even farms you prefer.

We couldn’t be happier with having Sightglass participate in our guest coffee roaster program.  We have enjoyed their coffee as a V60 Pour Over, Chemex, and Cold Brew and they were all delicious. I won’t give away any names, but we actually had not one, but two customers call to reserve their bag of Altico the day it arrived fresh at the Studio. We’re thrilled that we can be bringing our customers such a great tasting coffee.

After a month of enjoying the Sightglass Columbian El Altico coffee it’s already time to rotate our offering. Don’t worry, we won’t be leaving Sightglass, starting today we will be bringing you a new offering from this great roaster. We’ll be moving from Columbia to Ecuador for this coffee. Ecuadorian coffee is known for having a medium body and sharp acidity. The particular variety of this coffee grows at 1600-2000 masl and is called Coffee Arabica Typica. According to information provided by our friends at Stumptown, Typica  was one of the first varietal species found in Ethiopia and the “cup quality is generally excellent demonstrating outstanding sweetness, cleanilness, and body.” On my first tasting of the Ecuador, La Loja from Sightglass I would have to agree. Sightglass describes the flavor of La Loja as dark honey and root beer cola, which I found to be a peculiar description for the flavor of a coffee, but I can see what they are getting at. The finishing notes of the coffee have a wonderful sweet tanginess to it that is definitely reminiscent of a root beer.

Monthly, Sightglass sends us updates on their coffee, changes to their lineup, and general information about their offerings (another reason they make a great partner for us at RSC). Here is what they have to say about La Loja, “La Loja represents the combined efforts of producers who work with the PROCAFEQ farmer’s association in Ecuador’s Loja province. PROCAFEQ producers tend to small parcels of land and wash their coffee in their own on-site beneficios. This style and quality of production seems to be a rarity in the Loja province. This coffee includes washed lots from a handful of PROCAFEQ producers, some who individually contributed less than one bag of coffee. La Loja is solely comprised of the Typica variety, whose character makes a strong showing in a cup that is both refined and structured. Vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar aromatics are layered alongside soft, sweet flavors of dark honey and root beer cola.”

At the Studio, you’ll find a flyer on our community table created by the Bicycle Advisory Committee of Lexington. It describes the various markings on the road for cyclists and cars so everyone is where they should be. Follow the rules when driving a car and a bike, it helps ensure everyone has a pleasant trip.

Are you aware that if you’re riding at night you must have a white headlight, red taillight as well as pedal or ankle reflectors? Also, motorists are required to slow down when passing bicyclists and pedestrians. Spend time reading through the flyer with your family.

We enjoy all of the bike traffic that we get at the Studio. Do be sure that when you come and go to not ride on the sidewalks, try to keep them clear of bicycles for pedestrians to pass and if you want to cross the street, walk your bike and use the crosswalk. It’s just at the end of the driveway (very near to our front door) and cars are expected to stop for any pedestrians there. Naturally, it’s never safe to assume a car will stop so still watch for cars.

It’s vitally important for everyone to wear a helmet. Law states that cyclists 16 years old and younger wear an approved helmet. Law or not, we know too many people who have said that their lives were saved because they were wearing a helmet.

No matter what kind of bike that you ride, it’s very important to have it checked for safety. We have a safety inspection included with our tune-ups. Are the brake cables fraying? Do you have dry rot on your tire? These are just some of the things to look for and are really important to catch early. When a bike tire blows out, especially if it’s the front tire, the cyclist will likely lose control of the bike.

Something that may make sense but isn’t good to do is constantly tighten the bolts on your bike. Each bolt should be tightened down to its tension requirement and left that way. It’s good to periodically see if bolts have loosened, but continually tightening them ends up stretching them, eventually causing failure and possibly a bad accident.

Wear sunglasses or some sort of eye protection. If you’re cruising along and something flies in your eye, it’ll be impossible to see for a moment and that could be the difference between seeing a pothole or not.

We have hundreds of small tips to help you have the best experience on a bike possible, never hesitate to ask us anything about bikes or riding (or coffee!). We’ll be offering flat-tire changing clinics this spring and summer, let us know if you’re interested in receiving notification when they’re added to our calendar.

Photo by Jay Robbins

The road season is off to a great start for the Cafe Racers, with our new women’s team taking podiums in each of their first two target races. Read on for stories about their experiences!

If you’re a woman who’d like to ride with the RSC team, come out this Saturday, April 21st. At 9am, they, along with RSC team mentor & pro cyclist Mo Bruno Roy, are hosting a group ride and clinic for beginner women. (No charge, just show up!) Check out the details.

Following this ride and clinic at 11am, the team will host a fast women’s ride for those who are up for a pace of 17+ mph to/from Harvard for approximately 60 miles.

Read on for their exciting race stories!

Chris Hinds FUJI “Sunshine” Criterium – by Lauren Kling

Photo by Eric Baumann

Chris Hinds Criterium is at a paved, cycling specific track in Ninigret, RI. Most of the team was in attendance at our first target race of the season, with Lauren Tracy in the women’s 1/2/3 race and Joy Stark, Celia Riechel, Cait Dooley, Erin Faccone and myself in the women’s 4 race. Both races were on course at the same time – the lap was about 2 minutes and we had a one minute split between the two fields for an hour of racing. Prior to the start of the race, the promoter thanked us all for attending – he said it was the first time in 10 years that he’s been able to host both a 1/2/3 and 4 field! Previously the categories have always been combined into a women’s open race.

With a number of turns and a stiff headwind we knew it would be difficult to make a break stick on this course. Our plan was to just attack repeatedly in the hopes that we could tire out the field and I was the designated sprinter for the finish. To that end, we took turns going off of the front over and over again throughout the hour. I was aggressive at the beginning of the race, initiating the first attack, getting pulled back, and joining the next couple of counterattacks. After that I let my teammates take over and largely sat in the field, with the exception of contesting a few primes. During all this we were marking who the strong riders were – Liz McDonough, of Arc En Ciel Racing, showed herself to be a very strong rider, matching every attack we sent out. Lori Cooke of Cycle Lodge and Michelle Packer of Union Velo were also people we were keeping an eye on.

When we had about ten laps to go the leader of the 1/2/3 field, Silke Wunderwald, had broken away and was coming to the front the 4 race. We had been told we could work with the other fields if we ran into each other and I was concerned that she would breeze through our field taking Liz and Lori, who were at the front, with her. I moved forward and so did Erin. I was able to sit on Erin’s wheel while she marked every attempt of theirs to break and kept me sheltered and at the front. I got a little too eager in the last half of the final lap, getting ahead of any of my teammates attempting to lead me out – whoops. I came into the last turn second or third wheel before making my jump. Liz came around me right before the line for the win and I was able to take second place. Erin took fourth even after all of her hard work at the end and Celia got into the top ten with a strong 9th place at her first crit, with Cait and Joy finishing soon after. Lauren Tracy also got a top ten in the 1/2/3 field. All in all, it was a very successful first race for the team and we had a great time!

Tour of the Battenkill – by Joy Stark

Photo by Eric Baumann

With a course that sports 4,000 feet of climbing, steep grades, and 10 dirt sections, this 62 mile race deserves to be called “epic.” This was my third year racing Battenkill, which provides a motivation for me to train consistently through the winter months. Teammate Celia Riechel joined me in the Cat 4 field, making Battenkill her first ever road race. It must be noted that 150 Cat 4 women registered for Battenkill this year, requiring the promoter to split the field into two smaller fields of 75. From previous experience, I knew that the race would be uneventful until we reached the Juniper Swamp climb, about 12 miles in. Celia and I were in great position going into the climb and were able to make it over the top with the lead group of about 18 women.

The next 30 miles were largely uneventful aside from the struggle to stay with the group over climbs. What I lacked in climbing power, Celia and I made up for on the loose dirt sections, where we were able to drive the pace, thanks to our cyclocross skills. Celia flatted on a gravelly section of dirt 45 miles into the race, and found herself off the back without a wheel when neutral support gave her a wheel that was incompatible with her frame and drove away. I stayed with the leaders until Meetinghouse Road, a series of unfriendly dirt rollers, which split the group. The last ten miles of the race were the most difficult for me as I was determined to hold my placing. I was thrilled to learn that I placed 10th, and Celia an impressive 24th after recovering from her mechanical.

Myles Standish Road Race – by Cait Dooley

Photo by Eric Baumann

Myles Standish is a gently rolling 20 mile circuit race with some rough pavement sections and a fast downhill finish with a left-hand turn. Going into the race, I was the designated sprinter, and as a team, our strategy was to send a few of our ladies up the road and make a break stick. At the start, the RSC women were scattered throughout the first and second row of the 25+ women’s field, and it was an awesome feeling to have these women on my side for my second real attempt at road racing.

At the start, the pace was fairly easy, until Joy, Celia and Cindy took turns at the front. There was a bit of sudden braking and swerving in the field, and that made it difficult to move around. We made a few break attempts, but none stuck. On lap 2, Lauren and I looked at each other across the field and nodded to each other that it was on to make a move. I unsuccessfully tried to make it through traffic, and Lauren launched an attack alone that would stick for the remainder of the race. Arc-En-Ciel rider, Liz McDonough, rode away with her. With Lauren in the break, we covered any attack that other riders made, but otherwise sat in.

On the fourth and final lap, Lori Cooke (Cycle Lodge) made a move and Elizabeth Cummings (NEBC) and I went with her. The two person break was 45 seconds ahead at this point, so I worked in the blistering chase group pace Lori had set toward the finish. In the sprint, I sat back for a little too long and Elizabeth nabbed the final podium position, and I got 4th. The field was right behind us and Joy won the field sprint for 6th. Celia and Erin were our other top-ten finishers, coming in at 9th and 10th.

The next target race for the Ride Studio Cafe women’s team is the Sterling Road Race on May 12 in Sterling, MA.

Co-captains Joy Stark and Lauren Kling assembled the team with the goal of improving Cat 3/4 racing experience and advancing the level of women’s racing in New England by fostering a sense of teamwork, community, and pushing the level of competition. In addition to Joy and Lauren, women’s team roster includes Erin Faccone, Celia Riechel, Cindy Brennan, Kristina Donehew, Cait Dooley, and Lauren Tracy.

We are excited about working with the women’s team to help them reach their racing goals, as well as to organize community events, rides and clinics with the assistance of team members.

We already have dates for the first set of rides. Our women’s team is hosting a monthly series of beginner 101 rides, more details will be available soon, but if you’re new to cycling, ladies, mark your calendars now for the following dates:

• Saturday 4/21
• Sunday 5/13 (Mother’s Day)
• Saturday 6/23
• Sunday 7/29
• Saturday 8/11

The team is mentored by Elite Cafe Racer and Pro Cyclocrosser Mo Bruno Roy, as well as RSC’s Patria Lanfranchi, an elite road racer. The men’s contingent  of the RSC racers have welcomed the addition of the women’s 3/4 development team and everyone has enjoyed the opportunity to ride together and learn from each other over the winter months.

The Elite team and mentors have used their racing experience to coach the development riders at clinics and to discuss team tactics.

The women’s 3/4 development team just made their season debut this past Saturday at the 10th Annual Chris Hinds FUJI Sunshine Criterium in Charlestown, RI. They put Lauren K. on the podium at 2nd and Erin came in 4th. Four of  of the seven racers were in the money! We’re particularly proud of the team’s results as they raced tactically and worked hard to keep the pace of the race high.

Please make sure to cheer on all of the RSC racers, they welcome the support! Also, stay tuned for rides and events that are open to all community members that will be hosted by the RSC Cafe Racers team.

If the Ride Studio Cafe women’s 3/4 development team sounds like something you would like to be a part of, please make a point of saying hello and introducing yourself. If you are not quite ready for a competitive racing environment but would still like to be involved with the team and Cafe, RSC offers a club membership option that is open for anyone to join. Please inquire with us if you would like details about joining the club.

Joining our demo fleet is the Seven 622 SLX, built just over two weeks ago. The bike’s inaugural ride was a 104 mile century (on the Super Saturday ride). The rider couldn’t believe how well the bike rode, it’s weight, handling ability, responsiveness, style and road feel.  He promptly came back (though he wasn’t keen on returning the bike so quickly) and scheduled a discussion to determine how his one-of-a-kind 622 will be outfitted and designed.

Would you like to test ride this incredible bike? We have it here now through April 1, then we’re loaning it out to our friends in Boulder, Colorado at Boulder Cycle Sport who will be hosting an evening called “Art of the Custom Bicycle.” No better bike to be in attendance at this event than this 622. Come in to check it out and let us know you want to ride so the moment it’s back here, we’ll get you out on it!

A covered bridge in Battenkill

Battenkill is a fun and very popular New England spring classic since it mimics the exciting pro tour spring classics going on this time of year (think Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, or Strade Bianche).  Battenkill has its own American flavor, including many kilometers of dirt roads in deeply rural areas with farm animals and covered bridges.

Each year I like to not only compete in the race, but make a trip out to the course in the weeks prior to recon the course.  While many of the key selective points remain unchanged from year to year, other parts of the course are switched up, adding new and unique challenges.

In the days prior to my recon ride, the weather forecast was grim, calling for showers, and then rain, with temperatures in the low 40’s.  It occurred to me then that I’d never ridden the Battenkill course in the rain.  For whatever reason, I’d always been lucky and had unseasonably warm, dry conditions at Battenkill.

John S and I met at Cambridge High School, not far from the start.  Immediately after we arrived the rain picked up significantly.  The thermometer in my car read 42°F.  After carefully studying weather radars on our phones (which loaded up at 1X speeds), we decided to grab sandwiches and let the rain pass.  It didn’t pass as quickly as we’d hoped, and we still ended up riding the first hour in cold rain.

The first miles of the ride went quickly, despite the rain.  I finally got to put my Rapha Paul Smith rain jacket to good use and it was great.  It was wet enough that I even used the annoyingly pink butt flap to keep my backside dry.  Wearing that flap down feels like a target for passing traffic, just asking for trouble.  But I was dry, happy, and we cruised right along, passing through the Eagleville covered bridge and into the first challenges of the day.

The day's first indication of how the dirt would be

Robinson Road is the first dirt section and it’s no big deal, being downhill and easy.  But it’s still exciting to get to this point because it’s the first indication of what the dirt roads will be like that day.  Some days it’s bumpy, other days it’s loose, but this day it was soaked:  slippery and slow.  My 23c 100psi tires sunk deep into the road and my front wheel was loose as if I were on ice.  My speed dropped below 20mph despite the negative gradient.  It was going to be a long day.

Perry Hill Road is the first significant hill of the day being a long false flat with a few steep kickers and a nasty steep part at the top; it can be a 10 minute effort.  This road is paved, so it was no different in the rain.

One of Battenkill's premier challenges

Juniper Swamp Road immediately follows Perry Hill Road, with only a short, fast descent separating the two.  They’re positioned so close together on the course that they can feel like a single effort.  There’s very little time for recovery.

The turn onto Juniper Swamp Road is almost a hairpin, and you’re turning onto dirt with uncertain traction.  Only today it wasn’t dirt, but an inch or more of mud.  For a kilometer or so the road is flat, and I pedaled hard at threshold power just to hold on to a measly 12mph. Normally my speed would exceed 20mph.  My tires were slipping around in every direction as if I were riding a sandpit in a cyclocross race.  I tried to picture myself doing this in a peloton and thought it would be nearly impossible.

By the time I got to the start of the hill my heart rate was already almost in threshold zone.  I looked up the steep 20% gradient and saw many tire tracks from a large group ride that had left earlier in the morning.  Those tracks navigated carefully around loose piles of mud, mostly remaining within the narrow, packed automobile tracks.

John approaching the top of Juniper Swamp Road

As I approached the top of the climb lactic acid was fierce and my speed dipped under 3mph for extended periods of time!  Between this ridiculously slow speed and the slippery mud, I was just barely able to stay balanced and keep upright.  Many of the tire tracks turned to foot prints.  I had to wonder how many people were able to cleanly ride the road in these conditions.

And that was just how Battenkill was going to be this day in the rain; completely ridiculous.  We were afraid to descend any faster than 15 or 20 mph.  Any small amount of off-camber in the road would send us sliding in that direction towards the trees.  And hitting a patch of thick mud would send your body shooting forward on the bike as if you were spring skiing and hit a slushy patch of snow.  It took us over 90 minutes to ride the first 20 miles.

Luckily, the rain did stop around this point and the dirt roads dried out surprisingly quickly.  The dirt did not harden up by any means, but at least my tires weren’t sinking several inches in and I could maintain a reasonable speed.

The 2012 edition bypasses Joe Bean Road, which is more than a 5 minute climb for most people at mile 25.  The bypass is much flatter and shouldn’t be selective in most cases.  This isn’t to say that the course as a whole is any easier, but that the selections may occur later in the race than in previous years.

The smell may be considered one of the race's challenges

Carney and Cassidy Road were new to the 2011 edition and are a challenging hilly dirt alternative to the flat paved run-in to Greenwich.  My first impression was that this new section was easy and just good for the farm-animal scenery.  But shortly after passing a cow pasture we made a 90 degree left hand turn and saw a huge dirt wall directly in front of us.  These steep sections can look especially menacing.  Luckily it’s no more than a 2 minute climb, and stomping on the pedals hard in my 39×26 was enough to pass it quickly.  But that initial wall is not the end.  The road descends, turns, and another wall slaps you in the face.  And this repeats over and over until I lost count.  No single climb was significantly long, but they’re steep enough and frequent enough to really make the legs sting.

The back roads around Greenwich seemed to drag on forever, probably because I wasn’t familiar with them.  There is plenty of dirt, short climbs, turns, and farm animals, but there is no single part that would strike fear into most racers.  Well, other than a mean looking guard dog that will give you good reason to sprint on a downhill.

Cheese Factory Road

After turning south onto Route 40 there are about 10 miles of what are probably the easier parts of the course.  This is new to the 2012 edition.  I wouldn’t call it easy; there are still plenty of rollers and an annoyingly bumpy dirt section on Cheese Factory Road.  But with the difficult sections that follow it, you’ll want to save every ounce of energy you can.

Along Route 113 you can see the Hudson River down on your right and you know that you’re at a low elevation.  Before too long you make the inevitable turn up onto Wrights Road, a dirt section that rises continuously for miles.

A little extra resistance for the ride

Wipe it off and it will be back

Wrights Road is a long gradually-rising dirt road, but there are a number of steep kickers that make it hard.  After each kicker it never really eases up, with the gradient remaining on the positive end of the scale.  You’ll need to be able to recover at a reasonably high power output.   And with soft dirt and clogged brakes it feels especially slow.

Another of Battenkill's premier challenges

Meeting House Road has always been part of the race, but 2012 introduces a new part of the road.  It picks up right where Wrights Road leaves off, with steep kickers and long false flats.

My legs were trashed

By the time I got to the top of the first dirt kicker on Meeting House Road I felt as if I’d been red-lined forever.  My legs were trashed.  And this was very bad since Meeting House Road is all up and down steep dirt walls.  By the time I reached safety (pavement) again I felt abused.

Taking in the scenery

There are several miles of enjoyable pavement between Meeting House Road and the final challenge of the day: Stage Road.  I find it hard not to enjoy this gentle pavement, despite the fact that I’m several difficult hours in the saddle.  The scenery is just too good with covered bridges, more farm animals, and winding rivers.

Battenkill's penultimate challenge

But then you reach Stage Road.  If you’re in the lead group still you know the pace is going to be ballistic.  It’s the last hill and the last opportunity for a good climber to shed the fast sprinters.  And it’s dirt, so in the rain the climb is going to be slow and long.  I would think this would favor the climbers’ chances of getting away and staying away.

A fast descent and flat 5K sprint on good pavement is all that follows Stage Road.  With about 250m to go the road turns 90 degree right before the finish in front of Cambridge Town Hall.

Summary

We were lucky to have the rain stop when it did.  While the dirt sections in the second half of the road were far from good, they were nowhere near as bad as the earlier roads.  Juniper Swamp Road was the worst, as indicated by our 12mph average speed in the first 90 minutes.  Had we continued at this pace it would have taken us over 5 hours to finish the course.  In dry conditions I typically finish recon rides in around 3 hours and 40 minutes.

I also don’t know if I’d be brave enough to do this race in hard rain.  The wet dirt roads felt like riding a MTB in snow or a cross bike in sand, and riding side by side 150 other racers would be especially scary.  While I can’t think of any amateur race editions of Battenkill in the rain, I do recall one pro race edition in the rain.   Having now had the chance to experience the ridiculousness that occurs, I am humbled and hold the pros in even higher stature than before.

Clean me!

Also, it took me three attempts before I reached acceptable bike cleanliness.   After each of the first two attempts I found significant pockets of sand that I’d missed.  Finally I decided to get more serious with the cleaning and stripped off most of the parts, cleaning them one by one.  The effort required for this one rainy day at Battenkill  managed to drag on for days after.

As with many of the selective roasters we bring into the Studio, Sightglass is trying to elevate coffee. For them this means bringing the customer the full story about their cup of coffee; who and how the coffee was handled from farm to cup. This includes sharing information about the farmers, the growing environment, and the processing of the beans. Here at the Studio we find that concept to be perfectly in line with what why try to bring our customers. Our friendly baristas are happy to answer any of your coffee questions or show you brew methods to help elevate your coffee experience. While having the story behind the coffee is a nice addition, taste can’t be left behind. Sightglass most definitely delivers on flavor. In their own words:

“Because coffee is a seasonal fruit, we source it from origin in tiny, freshly harvested lots.We practice small production methods which allow us to scrutinize and perfect our processes. Attaining a perfect roast is a sensory craft; it’s an intuition, a smell, a sound, a slight change in color—it’s about deep attention to detail, and it comes through in every cup.”

When we first decided to bring Sightglass on as our guest roaster they sent us samples of their four current coffees. All four coffees had a delicious fruitiness and sweetness to them. Those flavors matched along with a perfectly clean crisp finish placed them among some of the best coffees we’ve tasted here at the Studio. The blackberry and clementine notes in the Columbia El Altico particularly caught our attention, making the El Altico the first Sightglass coffee we’ll be featuring at the Studio.

Rando Riding, Beautiful Bikes, and Stories from the Long Ride

Randonneurs during a moment of reflection in the dead of night

Please RSVP.

Join us on Saturday, March 31 to share stories of distance cycling, great bikes, and the search for personal meaning one finds in the beam of a generator headlight that points the way down a dark, desolate dirt road.

The Ride - at Noon

The day begins, at noon, with a 110 km ride departing from the Studio.  This truly beautiful ride will take you on some serene and little traveled roads.  We’ll have comprehensive cue sheets of the route. We are fortunate to have brevet experts Pamela Blalock and John Bayley leading the way, along with a cadre of additional Studio Team members – the Cafe Racers – riding with small groups along this fun, and a bit tricky, route.

Ride	"Lost Lake Randonneur"
Type of ride	Road ride
Day of the week	Saturday, March 31
Departing from	Ride Studio Cafe
Departing time	12 noon - Sharp
Estimated time in the saddle	Fastest riders 3 hours Funnest riders about 5.5 hours
Distance	110 km, or 68 miles
Average speed	At your own pace with a cue sheet; probably somewhere between 14-20 mph; this is not a race--it's fun.
Difficulty rating	Fun to Fast Some hills
Rain information	We're riding rain or shine. Here is the weather of the moment.
Coordinator	Ride Studio Cafe connect@ridestudiocafe.com

The Map.

More details here.

What’s a Brevet?  Brevets are organized self-supported long distance rides from 200km to 1200km. Learn more at www.rusa.org.

Once you get back from the ride we’ll have towels and drinks – hot or cold – ready for all.  Take a moment to recover, relax, and check out some great bikes and gear since you may not want to leave because at 6:30 we have…

The Event, Party, and Exhibit – at 6:30 pm

We have a lot happening in the evening:

||  The party starts:  mingle, eat, and drink.  We may even serve a French ”cafe court” or two.  Of course we’ll serve “Chocolat chaud” all day and night, too.

||  Cycling phenom Melinda Lyon will share her remarkable experiences competing in Paris-Brest-Paris.  Melinda completed her first 1200k PBP in 1995.  In 1999 she won the women’s category in just over 53 hours – with no support vehicle!  And then, just for good measure, she’s won three of the last four PBPs!!!  She holds the time record for Boston-Montreal-Boston, too.  You will not want to miss this rare opportunity to hear from, and talk with, this truly exceptional cyclist.

||  Brevet preparation presentation:  Pamela Blalock will share some tips and secrets on how to have a great randonneur ride.  Her resume of brevet experience is impressive.  Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the audax authority!

200km into the Green Mountain Double Century

||  Randonneur bike exhibit:  We’ll have some great and creative brevet bikes on display.  We’re expecting about a dozen of the most beautiful and diverse rando bikes you’re likely to see – when not riding in a brevet, of course.  You’ll have a chance to closely inspect people’s creative solutions to lighting, fenders, gear transport, and self-sufficiency.

||  Prizes:  We’ll be awarding more than $1,000 in prizes for the best randonneur bike in the exhibit.  Prizes will include a pair of Rando tires of your choice, a bike overhaul, a private coffee tasting for you and three friends, and more good stuff.  We invite all party-goers to vote by secret ballot.  If you’d like to show your brevet bike, and have a chance to win something great, email us so we can reserve your space; we have only a few spots left.

||  Slideshow:  We will have pictures from Paris-Brest-Paris and other brevets playing on our video screen all night long.  If you have any brevet-centric photos you’d like to display, please send us images.

220 km into the ride; only 110km to go. Brake pads gave up about 50 km ago.

Participate

• Ride and event:  Please RSVP.  We hope to see you at the ride or party – or both!  This is going to be a great way to kick off the best part of the riding season.
• Bike exhibit:  If you’d like to display your brevet bike at the exhibit please email us.  We look forward to seeing your ride!
• Photo slideshow:  If you have photos, send them to us!

It’s going to be a great day and evening of all things brevet.  Don’t miss out.  We hope to see you there!

Thank you to Pamela Blalock for organizing the ride, party, and all the goodness!

Photographs:  Natalia Boltukhova | Pedal Power Photography